Sealing cap



G. WEISS SEALING CAP Nov.- 27, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12. 1951 -INVENTOR.

eERHAR-r WEI&$

BY W my ATTORNEY.

Nov. 27, 1956 G. WEISS 2,772,018

SEALING CAP Filed Sept. 12, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IN VEN TOR. GERHAQT' W E1 55 -r-r QNeys United States Patent SEALING CAP Gerhart Weiss, Jackson Heights, N. Y.

Application September 12, 1951, Serial No. 246,183.

7 Claims. (Cl. 220-44) My invention relates to an improved sealingv cap for releasably sealing containers which are partially or entirely filled with air or other gases.

The sealing cap has a central diaphragm portion, an integral annular outer portion, and a flexible annular skirt member which is positioned below this outer portion. The outer portion and the skirt member are connected together adjacent their inner edges. I also provide a radially extending groove in the under surface of said outer portion.

I place the sealing cap on a container, with the outer portion and the skirt member overlying the rim of said container. The diaphragm portion may then be forced downwardly, thereby pressing the skirt member against the rim of the container and compressing the air therein.

However, the compressed air forces the part of the skirt member beneath the outer portion groove, upwardly into said groove. This permits the escape of air from the container until its pressure is equalized with that of the atmosphere.

When the downward force on the diaphragm portion is: released, it moves upwardly to its normal position. This creates a partial vacuum in the container, as a result of which the cap is sealed in place. 4 The cap may also be mounted on a wall or other member so as to support an object which may be attached to said cap. 1

The improved cap serves as an excellent sealing means because of the provision of the groove, which allows the escape of a maximum amount of air from the container when the diaphragm portion is pressed downwardly.

Another advantage of my invention is that the cap may be used to seal containers having rims of varying diameters.

Other advantages of my invention are that it may be readily assembled from two molded plastic members, and that it may be easily applied to and removed from a container.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent fromthe following description, in conjunction with the annexed drawings,,in'which preferred embodiments are disclosed.

' In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is 'a top .plan view of my improved sealing cap as applied to'. the open top of'a container. x"

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig.11.

Fig. .3 =is anenlarged section on line 3+3 of- Fig. 1, showing. the cap in its sealing position on the top of the container, the bottom of the container being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the center portion of the cap depressed, the cap reaching its sealing position of Fig. 3 when the center portion is released- F ig. 5- isa vertical section showing another embody Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the, sealing cap shown in Fig. 5.

7, 2,772,018 Patented Nov. 27, 1956 Fig. 7 is a vertical section through another embodiment of the sealing cap, said cap being also shown as applied to a container the bottom part of which is broken away.

The drawings show a working model of the cap and are drawn to scale. Figs. 1 and 2 are drawn in 1:1 scale, and Figs. 3 and 4 are drawn in 2:1 scale. Reference is made to the drawings to complete this description of the cap.

In the drawings, my improved sealing cap is shown mounted on the preferably circular rim 14a of a jar-like container14. Container 14 is shown in an upright position, and I assume this to be its orientation in the description, although it will be apparent that the cap may be applied to container 14 when it is held many position.

The seal cap comprises a central diaphragm portion 10, an annular outer portion 11 which is integral with this center portion 10, and an annular skirt member 13 which is positioned below this outer portion 11 and attached thereto. 1 optionally provide a depending circumferential and peripheral flange 12 which is integral;

with said outer portion 11. r

The sealing cap is normally substantially upwardly convex, as shown in Figs. 1-3. The inner edge of outer portion 11 is positioned above the plane of the outeredge' each groove 19 has a complementarymidge 19a.bene'ath' it inthe lower face of center portion 10, so that center portion 10 is corrugated. The outer wall 20- of theoutermost groove 19 slopes outwardly and upwardly above the outermost ridge 18, with the upper edge of said wall 20 serving as the inner edge of outer portion 11..

This annular outer portion 11 slopes somewhat downi wardly, so that its outer edge is disposed in a plane below the plane of its inner edge.

I provide a groove 15 in the under surface of portion 11, which preferably extends radially between the inner and outer edges of said portion 11. The forming of this groove 15 results in the forming of a corresponding raised portion 15a in the upper surface of outer portion 11. Skirt member 13 preferably has approximatelythe same dimensions as annular portion 11. The inner edge of said member 13 preferably abuts the inner edge of the under surface of portion 11 and is secured thereto by glue or other suitable means- As a result most of skirt member 13 is unattached to the outer section of the body portion 11.

Skirt member13 is preferably made, by molding or other suitable means, from a vinylite or other suitable plastic material which is pliable and resilient and optionally slightly stretchable. Center portion 10, outer portion 11 and fiangelZ are preferably made in one piece, by molding or other suitable means, from a vinyl- 13 is formed.

portion 11 and skirt member 13 and the inner end of groove 15 are disposed within the circumference of rim I ber 13 which overlies rim 14a substantially rests there- 3 V on. This is because the portion of skirt member 13 intermediate its inner and outer edges is normally spaced from annular portion 11, the :material of which member 13 is formed being sufliciently stiff normally to maintain this'relation 'ship'of parts11 and 13. It is preferred that skirt memberj13 substantially abut' approximately the" entire area of;rim"1 4a. v

After the cap has beenplaced on container'14 in the manner described-jabov the cap'may be manually'fma nipulated'so as to seal it releasably upon' rim 1 4a I exert force oni'center'portion 10 so as to bend it downwardly in the direction of arrow 16 to its position of Fig.;4:, In thisposition of Fig; 4; center portion 10 is n s r However, annular portion 11 is hot pressed downwar'dly upon that'part ofskirt member 13which' under? lies'g'roove 15.- The compressed air in container 14 forces this part of skirt member 13upwardly into'g'roove' 15, this movement being aided by the slight stretchability ofsaid skirt'member 13: tA ir'fiows'out of container 14, in -th edi'rection of arrow 17 through the're'sulting space between rim 14a and the parttof skirt memberrlii which has been" forced upwa'rdly within groove" 15. i This now of air continues until the pressures within and outside' container 14 are equalized. The raised portion13then tends, asa result of its resiliency, to return to its position of abutmentwith rim 14a.

fWh en'the downward force on center portion10 is re leased,"it automatically moves upwardly to its normal positionof Fig, 3 This creates a partial'vacuum in container 1'4, as-a result of which the cap remains firmly seatedj uponfrim 14a.

It is" appa'rentvth'at'the cap may be readily seatedupon containers having mouthsofvarying diameters, so long as annularportion 11 and skirt member 13 are positioned above'rim' 14a. Also, the cap may be readily unsealed since. it is not mechanically secured to c'ontainerf14. Also, beca'us'eof the channel formed for the escape of air, as a'rle' sult of the provision of groove 15,'the cap' may'be'sealedjupon a container which has a large volume ofair- 'com'pared'to the air located betweenithe cap and the plane ofiirim 14a.

Itisals'oappar'ent th'at my device may be applied"directly to-a wallor' other surface so as tosupport an artia cle which' maybe attached to said'cap. Inth'is' case,- flange 12 may be omitted.

It is also apparent that my device includesa central-'- diaphragni 'portiod 10, an outer portion 11' which 'may be -made of 5 suitable relatively 3 rigid material, I and an annular 'skir t member 13 which is po'sitionedbefneath" said outer -portion 11 and attached thereto along" the'entire'inneredge- 0f said skirt am'emb'erf- 13; Outer' portion ll ha's ia'gro'ove' l5 in the'unde'r surface thereof-{r above skirt member 13 When the sealing cap-'isiplaced upon jar-like container 14 with outer portion 11: 5am

skirt-member 13 overlying th'eentire-rim 14aandwith? groove 15 extending between the inner andqurerwaggs of's'aid 14a; the rigidity of outefpor'tion 11 results inskirt member- 13 being firmly seated on l4a' whehf a dQWnWardforce is exerted on'diaphragm lll. This=dia-- phragmal'flzismade lof such material that it is adapted tojzbeqdepressed'by such a downward force.- Skirt main I toxformPth'e" desiredopenin'g; for" theescape of air;

V M4 resiliency ofvskirt member 13 causes it to tend to move back toward rim' 1411* when the air" pressure-inside" and outside container 14 is equalized. The material of diaphragm 10 has furtherproperties, as a result of which said diaphragm 10 moves upwardly when said downward force thereon is released.

In certain applications, I prefer to use a diaphragm member which is maderof'rubber or a similar flexible and resilient material instead. of the. type of diaphragm 10 which is shown inFigs. l to 4. Such a modification is shown in Figr 7-. In,this embodiment,.I- provide a rigid annular outer portion 21 which corresponds to the annular-*memb'er' 11 of the'first embodiment; Ip'rovide a normally convex diaphragm member 22 which corresponds to the diaphragm member 10 of the first embodiment; I also provide a gasket member 23 which corret sponds ,to the skirt member 13 of the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, I prefer to make diaphragm 2 2 and gasket 23? integral and of the same material. 7

As is shown in Fig; 7; diaphragm 22' isnormally-up wardly'conveX and may bemade'of rubbenoran'y other. suitable fle'xible and resilient" material; The bottom fpo'r tion of the' wall of diaphragm 22 extends through the. centralop'ening in therigidannular member 2 1'and fric tionally abuts-the edge of said opening. Gasket men? ber-"'23" is annular in shape and is preferably an out wardly extending flange which is integral with'the bot'-' tbmof said diaphragm 22i This gasket member 2 -3 is positioned-proximate'to the'lower face of outer'meme ber- 21 Y I prefer to' secure the upper race of gasket"23: to said} lower face of member 21 around theentire'cib" cur'nferenlge of -said members 2 1 and 23, butpreferably' only at' the' respective areas adjacent-the r'espective' inner edges"thereof, A's'a result, the-outer'portionof gasket 23 -is not connected to member 21. Theconnection" between members-21 and- 23 "may be by gluing or any other suitable means.

I ipfrovide diaphragm 22 with a" further'integral, outwardly extending annular" flange 24 which frictionallyj ab'u'ts the upperface ofoutermember 21 and which 'is secured thereto by gluing or any" other'suitablemeans: In'tliisenibodiment, I'alsofpro'vide one ormore air vents" whichareall s'imilarin=function to the groove 15 in the first embodiment. One such air vent is'{ shown in' Figi 7' andcomprises a radially extending groove 25 in annular m'emb'er 21. This providesa space into which a -p'ortio'n of 'gasket23cari be: raised duringopera'tion' of thesealingcap.

Optionally, I provide a annularmem'be'r 21' with a flange The operation of the embodiment of Fig. 7- 'is the same=as the ope'ration-of the firstlembodiment; Fig; 7 o'orresponds' to Figb 3, audit is apparent-that-when tlie sealing cap'Eis placed upon' container'i14"and diaphragm.

2 2 is depressed, air will be forced out of container-5 14 in' theimannen illustrated: in Fig: i 4,

Another embodiment is shown in Figs 5 and 6;- l The" first rtwoiembbdiments' disclose-v a sealing? c whichiis primarily designed to evacuatelczjustaenouglrrairkfrom a partially filled container to provide a vacuum' which LWill maintainathezcap; in v place; Sometimes;- it; is-: desirable in addition to pump the'vgreater amount aoftlieiaimout of the containeref Y I Y 'IheEcmbOHinJent: of FigszL-Siandii6?provides;aacap which can be: placedtonLtopwof thetconta'inen 14, .whicl1 cantbe operated; so; as. 16;. evacuate .mostzvof th'e: airrifromsisaid; container 14, and which will then be automatically sealed imp-lace.

The -.cap: shown: in? Figs. 52. and-' 6* comprises: a'eri'gid plate"30 Optionally,- said 'plate 30fmay 'have a'n?: nular outer; pardon-31 and 'an-./integ'ral cupshaped center portion 3 2- bbttbhi wall 3231 repositioned the planebofannula'r' portions-31* undernori nal'operating I provide the usual flexible gasket 33, is an nular in shape and which is positioned below annular portion 31, in the manner clearly shown in Fig. 5. Optionally, gasket 33 may be secured to annular portion 31.

Optionally, also, I provide a depending cylindrical flange 34 which is integral with the outer edge of plate 30. Of course, the cap is mounted upon container'14.

35 of inverted frustro-conical shape in order to serve as a suitable seat for a valve V. Said valve V has an inverted frustro-conical upper portion 36 which is adapted to sit upon the seat provided by the wall of said opening 35. The bottom of said valve head 36 is provided with a depending shank 37 in which is mounted a suitable transverse stop pin 38 which prevents upward removal of the valve V through opening 35.

In order to evacuate the air from container 14 after the sealing cap has been mounted thereon in the manner shown in Fig. 5, I provide a suitable suction cap means which is disposed within the cup portion 32 of plate 31. In Fig. 5, such evacuating means is shown as a conventional suction cap 39 which may be made of rubber or other suitable'material. This cap 39 is normally generally upwardly convex in shape, and the bottom of its wall is positioned upon cap portion 32a and spaced from the side wall of cup 32.

It will be apparent that I may replace cap 39 by a structure similar to that shown in Fig. 1 or in Fig. 7.

In the operation of this embodiment, suction cap 39 is alternatively pressed downwardly and released a plurality of times. Each time that suction cup 39 is pressed downwardly its wall is pressed toward the side Wall of cap 32, and air is evacuated from the interior space of said suction cup 39. Valve V is forced downwardly, so that valve head 36 blocks opening 35. When suction cap 39 is allowed to return to its normal position of Fig. 5, a partial vacuum is created within the interior of said suction cup 39. The pressure of the air within container 14 forces valve V upwardly until stop pin 38 abuts plate portion 32a. This opens valve V and permits air to flow from container 14 to the interior space of suction cup 39 until equilibrium is reached.

When suction cup 39 is removed, a partial vacuum has been created within container and atmospheric pressure maintains valve V in closed position. Optionally, the suction cup may be attached to plate 30 so as to make it non-removable, but the principle of operation remains the same.

In order to facilitate the removal of the sealing cup from container 14, I provide a slot 40 in flange 34, which makes it possible to insert an instrument between gasket 33 and the top of container 14, in order to break the seal.

While I have disclosed preferred embodiments of my invention and have indicated various changes, omissions and additions which can be made therein, it will be apparent that various other changes, omissions and additions may be made in my invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof.

For example, the construction of the diaphragm member may be modified in many ways. In particular, the diaphragm member can consist of a spiral spring which is laminated between two sheets of flexible plastic, rubber, or the like. Alternatively, the diaphragm member may be reinforced by any suitable metal spring or the like.

It will be seen that according to my invention, the sealing cap may have any suitable suction diaphragm portion and suitable gasket portion, together with a rigid body portion which overlies the gasket portion and which has a suitable opening through which the diaphragm may be reached in order to operate same. The diaphragm and the gasket may bemade in one piece, which ma optionally be'connected to the rigid body member. Also;- the diaphragm member and the gasket member may be made separately, in which case the diaphragm member' is optionally and preferably secured to the body member and the gasket is also optionally secured thereto.

I claim: 1. A sea-ling cap comprising a central diaphragm, an

annular body member which is integral with said diaphragm, said diaphragm being attached to said body member over the entire inner circumference thereof, said diaphragm and said body member being'm'ade of relatively rigid material, and an annular flexible and resilient gasket which is mounted beneath said body member and is substantially coextensive therewith with its inner peripheral edge only hermetically sealed throughout to the body. member, said gasket being adapted to be clamped at its outer edge !by the body member onto the rim of the container, said diaphragm being normally upwardly convex and having a plurality of substantially concentric corrugated grooves, whereby it is adapted to be moved'downwardly relative to said body member from its normal position into a downwardly convex position, said diaphragm being thereby tensioned so as to be adapted to return to its normal posit-ion upon release of the downward force thereon, said body member having a radial groove in the under-surface thereof above said gasket; said sealing cap being thereby adapted to be sealed to the rim of a container by mounting said cap onsaid rim with said gasket resting on said rim and with said groove overlying said rim between the inner and outer edges thereof, and depressing said diaphragm whereby to create an air pressure which forces a portion of said gasket into said groove and permits the escape of air from said container through the resulting opening between said gasket and said rim, and then releasing said diaphragm, the resulting return of said diaphragm to its normal position tending to create a partial vacuum within said container.

2. A sealing cap comprising a central diaphragm, an annular body member, means hermetically sea-lingly connecting said diaphragm and said body member so that said diaphragm is attached to said body member over the entire inner circumference thereof, said diaphragm and said body member being made of relatively rigid material, and an annular flexible .and resilient gasket which is mounted beneath said body member and is substantially coextensive therewith with its inner peripheral edge only hermetically sealed throughout to the body member, said gasket being adapted to be clamped at its outer edge by the body member onto the rim of the container, said diaphragm being normally upwardly convex and having a plurality of substantially concentirc corrugated grooves, whereby it is adapted to be moved downwardly relative to said body member from its normal position into a downwardly convex position, said diaphragm being thereby tensioned so as to be adapted to return to its normal position upon release of the downward force thereon, said 'body member having a radial groove in the under-surface thereof above said gasket, said sealing cap being thereby adapted to be sealed to the rim of a container by mounting said cap on said rim with said gasket resting on said rim and with said groove overlying said rim between the inner and outer edges thereof, and depressing said diaphragm whereby to create an air pressure which forces :a portion of said gasket into said groove and permits the escape of air from said container through the resulting opening between said gasket and said rim, and then releasing said diaphragm, the resulting return of said diaphragm to its normal position tending to create a partial vacuum within said container.

3. A sealing cap comprising a rigid annular body member, a central flexible and resilient diaphragm member which is attached to said body member over the entire inner circumference thereof, and an annular flexible and resilient gasket which is mounted beneath said body mem- '2 berand-is substantially, coextensive therewith with its innerperipheral edge hermetically sealedthroughout to the memgber, said-gasket being adapted to be clamped at-itsQouter edge -by the body member ontothe-rim-ofadapted; to 'returntoits normal yposition'upon-release of the; downwardforce thereon, said body-'member having a radial A groove Y in the under-surface thereof above" said gasket,-- said sealing: cap being; thereby adaptedto be sealed to-therim of a cgmta-iner byr mounting saidwap on said riin with said-gasketrestingson said rimand-with said; groove overlying; said rimrbetween-the inner and outer edgesthereof, anddepressing said diaphragm whereby to'create anairpressure which forces a portion ofiQsa-id, gasket into said groove and permits the escape ofi air .from -saideontainer throughthe resulting opening between-said-gaske t and said-rim,- and-then- -releasingsaiddiaphragm, the. resultingreturn of said diaphragm to itsnerma-l-- position tending to createa partial vacuum within saidcontainen v l a, 4.;A' sealing cap inaccordance with claim 3, said groovebein-gr sufliciently shallow and-said gasket being sufliciently resilient see-that said raised gasketportion a is sealed against the? rim of said container, upomre;

tjlrn of;said diaphragm to its normal positiongyin sum ci'ent time" to maintain; partial vacuum-within said cong tainer.- H

5 A sealingcap in accordance with claimi4, in which said diaphragm is integral with said'body portion, said body portion and said gasket being "connected togethen only along-their inner edges. r

6. A sealing "cap in' aocord-ance with claim 3,.in which said diaphragm extends throughthiopening of said body member and is integral with said gasket.

7. A sealingcap in accordancewitli claim 6, imwhich: saiddiaph ragin has a laterally extending peripheral flange; which abuts the upper face of said' body. member, said body member being relatively rigid-with respect to said;-

diaphragm.

References Cited=indthe file of this'patent,

UNITED" STATES PATENTS v Hansen Jan, 14, 1936 

